My top AMV's of 2022: 30 - 21
Jan. 6th, 2023 10:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
katranat30
Video title: Red Lights
Editor: vivafringe
Anime: Various
Song & Artist: Red Light - Gregori Klosman
Comments: vivafringe is here with “Red Lights” to show us all it’s possible to simultaneously hyper focus on something, yet also have a wild amount of variation. “Red Lights” biggest strength is how vivafringe takes us through all these different aspects of cars at nighttime - the pacing is absolutely perfect, just when you feel you have the video figured out, vivafringe switches it up and introduces a new element, and then another, and another. It’s a finely crafted smorgasbord of gorgeous anime scenes, and a masterclass piece of editing by vivafringe.
VPR: Flashes to white and red, red emphasis scenes, motion
29
Video title: Bunhead
Editor: TheLazyDaze
Anime: Sailor Moon
Song & Artist: Supalonely - BENEE
Comments: It’s a testament to TheLazyDaze’s editing ability that “Bunhead” looks and feels so free and easy. It’s like Sailor Moon and Supalonely spontaneously decided they needed to be together. Obviously this is not the case, I suspect TheLazyDaze has put in an incredible amount of effort into making “Bunhead” feel as effortless as it does. There are many moments which match completely perfectly, and the whole mood is delightfully dreamy.
VPR: Flashes to white, motion
28
Video title: Birth and Rebirth
Editor: vivafringe
Anime: Various
Song & Artist: New Morning - Monolink & Acid Pauli
Comments: vivafringe always picks the most wonderful concepts for his videos, and in this case "Birth and Rebirth" is also an exceedingly personal one as it relates to the birth of his son. It’s a very powerful message, which Vivafringe beautifully illustrates via the circle of life in his usual multi anime style.
VPR: Motion/patterns, flickering, red emphasis scenes
27
Video title: Happatai Daioh
Editor: Joseph Klemm
Anime: Azumanga Daioh
Song & Artist: Yatta - Happatai
Comments: I'm very aware I've been around anime and AMV's for a long time now, but nothing puts that into perspective quite like "Happatai Daioh", which Joseph Klemm has created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the anime Azumanga Daioh. I remember the first time I saw clips of Azumanga Daioh and "Happatai Daioh" takes me instantly back there. It would be easy to say that nostalgia is the main driver behind why I love this video, and mostly it is, but also I’m stunned by how well Joseph Klemm has matched the lyrics of this song with the anime. The majority is completely in your face literal lyric sync, but it’s so much so that it surpasses literal sync and starts to feel almost like it was made for the anime, or vice versa. Anyway, “Happatai Daioh” is a sweet, joyful, fun time and it makes me so happy whenever I watch it.
VPR: Motion, flashes to black and white, red emphasis scenes
26
Video title: Constant Paranoia
Editor: IsshoLee
Anime: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Song & Artist:
Comments: Evangelion AMV’s are always popping up, people are never going to stop making them, and I’m never going to stop watching them. What sets “Constant Paranoia” apart for me is the raw emotion I get from it. The anxiety from the song bleeds into the AMV on a visceral level, ramping up the desolation and bleakness that these characters are facing. IsshoLee has also proficiently incorporated a considerable amount of technical editing in very compelling ways, which makes “Constant Paranoia” especially satisfying to watch.
VPR: Major All
25
Video title: KNIGHT SABER CITY
Editor: Synæsthesia Productions
Anime: Bubblegum Crisis
Song & Artist: This City Made Us - The Protomen
Comments: Strap yourselves in for this one folks, “KNIGHT SABER CITY” is a powerhouse of an AMV and you will be swept away if you don’t hold on. I’m not kidding, the energy that Synæsthesia commands throughout the 5:35 runtime is unceasingly intense. Even during the opening moments of the video where the music is calmer, there’s an underlying tension that you instinctively know is going to break loose sooner rather than later, and then when it breaks it never goes back. You might think this much heightened atmosphere would eventually become too much, somehow it never does, Synæsthesia navigates the constant peaks perfectly, never going over the line and keeps the whole thing exceptionally engaging.
VPR: All
24
Video title: T.A.P. P.
Editor: SilkAMV
Anime: Magical Witch Punie-Chan
Song & Artist: LORD - Smokey Robotic
Comments: Old bizarre gag comedy anime such as Excel Saga and Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi are a guilty pleasure of mine. Magical Witch Punie-Chan however, is an anime I'd not heard of until watching T.A.P.P for the first time - I was not at all prepared for the obscene level of WTFery SilkAMV packs into this video. During the first opening seconds of the AMV it’s immediately apparent that something unconventional is afoot. Quick jump cuts that go back and forth in time are seldom used in AMV’s, and it’s an excellent introduction to the type of video about to be watched.
I’m going to stop there as I don’t want to talk too much about the content of the video, it’s one that needs to be experienced for yourselves, however I do want to say the moment between 01:01 - 01:04 is one of my most favourite things from the whole of 2022.
SilkAMV is a highly accomplished editor, and the fact he decided to pour so much of his time and skill into creating an AMV as utterly ridiculous as T.A.P.P is something I’m still trying to wrap my head around, but I’m forever grateful that he did.
VPR: Major motion, quick cuts, flashes to white
CW: I'm unsure how to adequately warn about the content in T.A.P.P without spoiling the video. I guess I'll just say there's some exceptionally crude humour present. Oh, and violence.
23
Video title: Say it right
Editor: HDV AMV
Anime: Tekkonkinkreet
Song & Artist: Say it Right - Nelly Furtado
Comments: Oh HDV, how you never cease to confuse me.
"Say it right" is an AMV I suspect several people going through this list will not enjoy at all due to HDV's usage of lip sync throughout the video. Lip sync is something that can add a new level to your AMV, and it’s most often effective in Comedy videos. You can absolutely incorporate suitable lip sync into other genres, but generally this needs to be handled with quite a bit of nuance as lip sync can either add or detract from the mood of the scene depending on a lot of factors. HDV has peppered "Say it right" with lip sync solely focused on the background vocals from Timbaland, which is an awkward decision as "Say it right" is a serious video. Even I’m not completely unaffected by this - I almost didn’t make it through watching the first 30 seconds. After the first 30 seconds or so, it thankfully becomes less prominent and fades into the background of the AMV and is something that’s just kinda there for the rest of the video.
Moving on, what I enjoy most about "Say it right" is how unusual of an anime/music combination it is. HDV is constantly finding combinations I would never think of in a million years and this one takes the cake for me. Who on earth watches Tekkonkinkreet of all things and thinks Nelly Furtado would make a good AMV with it? Well HDV did, and the combo blew away my non-existent expectations.
VPR: Red emphasis scenes, motion, flashes to white
22
Video title: Enigma
Editor: Legato2400
Anime: Serial Experiments Lain
Song & Artist: Duvet - Boa (Remixed by Nakinyko)
Comments: Using anime opening songs to make an AMV for that same anime is something some might consider to be "cheating". A lot of anime opening songs are either made specifically to match the anime, or they are carefully chosen to compliment the content, therefore they make for an overly obvious choice to make a fitting AMV with. I’m glad Legato2400 didn’t seem to care about that possible perception and has made “Enigma” regardless. It’s also worth saying that the version of the song Legato2400 uses here is a remix of the original, albeit still very recognisable.
One thing I always love about Legato2400’s editing is his creativity, he’s one of the few editors who uses visual effects in ways I enjoy, and “Enigma” is layered with many to explore. I also particularly enjoy the inclusion of the Lain Playstation game footage, it’s not used very often in AMV’s and it adds a fresh dynamic to the video.
VPR: All
21
Video title: Devil in the Dark
Editor: Animetrash AMVs
Anime: Madoka Magica
Song & Artist: Afraid of the Dark (feat. Sophiya) - KUURO
Comments: Madoka Magica AMV's have somehow managed to take up a hefty proportion of my list for 2022. Unlike in 2021 when this happened with Utena, it could be partially explained by YouTube actively shoving every single Utena AMV in existence my way, in 2022 it seems to be the case that editors I like have simply decided to use Madoka for some of their videos. I dearly hope I never tire of seeing it.
“Devil in the Dark” was a bit of a sleeper video for me. Animetrash is a hugely prolific editor and I watched several videos from them this year so sometimes I found it hard to keep track of which were the ones I was gravitating towards more. Whenever I would rewatch “Devil in the Dark” I found myself thinking some variation of “oh yeah, I remember this one now, it’s really cool”. “Devil in the Dark” is a Homura character profile, and I love how Animetrash insinuates desperation and anguish here.
VPR: All
no subject
Date: 2023-04-27 07:42 pm (UTC)Animetrash does upload their videos at 60fps so I wouldn't be surprised if this is indeed the case.
Thank you for your comments!